ONTARIO >> The death of a 48-year-old man whose body was found in the backyard of his home Wednesday morning has been ruled a homicide, according to police.

Police and fire personnel went to a home in the 900 block of East Fifth Street in response to a 9-1-1 call about 7 a.m. seeking medical assistance.

They found Tomas K. Carmona’s body in the rear yard, police Sgt. David McBride said. Carmona was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators originally labeled the incident a “suspicious death” but changed it to a homicide after further investigation and interviews with family members who were at the house.

Police have not named a suspect.

The neighborhood of small, older homes was quiet Wednesday morning, with the exception of the house surrounded by yellow crime scene tape and law enforcement vehicles parked outside.

Police said the victim lived at the home, along with a woman and her three teenage children.

“The kids are really good kids but the lady never talks or anything,” one neighbor said.

Residents in the area, who did not want to give their names, all said the same thing — the people at the house kept to themselves and the home is the source of constant traffic and activity.

“A lot of people come and go from that house,” another neighbor said.

One man, who lives near the house where the body was found, said people were arguing loudly on Wednesday morning and at some point he heard a man say, “Please, please don’t hit me any more.”

McBride later said the body had injuries consistent with an altercation that occurred, but he did not elaborate.

The house has been the source of calls for service, both neighbors and police said.

Since March 2013 authorities have been to the address a handful of times — mostly for medical assistance or minor incidents, McBride said. Police with a search warrant came to the residence in January on a drug-related investigation that resulted in an arrest.